Swinging open the door at Plath’s tints the early winter breeze with the scent of pork loins, bellies and hams slowly caramelized in a sweet cloud of oak smoke. This month marks the Plath family’s centennial season since Emil Plath, the clan’s young German progenitor, landed in Rogers City with a few bucks and a bulletproof recipe for Kasseler Rippchen, the succulent signature smoked pork loin peddled by the pound in their stores today. The original butcher shop and smokehouse still operates in Rogers City, and Plath’s brought their bacon to a Petoskey location in 2008, attracting devoted carnivores from Traverse City to the Soo. Rightly known for “the best ham in the land,” Plath’s draws from an extensive catalogue of family recipes to produce artisanal bacons, pork loins, poultry and Old World sausages like Metwurst, Braunschweiger and Kielbasa, along with seasonal specialties like smoked leg of lamb.